MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Aug. 21, 2020) – Manatee County Public Works will make sand and bags available for the public beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow at the Rubonia Community Center and the Myakka City Community Center.
The Rubonia Community Center is located at 1309 72nd Street E., Palmetto. The Myakka City Community Center is located at 10060 Wauchula Road, Myakka City. Both self-service sandbag locations will be open until 8 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 22. Residents can find more information at www.mymanatee.org/sandbags.
Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer and Public Safety Director Jacob Saur during a press briefing today urged Manatee County residents to watch Tropical Storm Laura closely and to prepare for heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge. Tomorrow they plan to take a local state of emergency declaration to County Commissioners for consideration. The meeting will be held at the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and it will be broadcast live on www.mymanatee.org/mga.
“The current track is becoming more favorable but that track is going to shift east and west before it approaches Florida," Saur said. “As we move through today and tonight, residents need to make their plan now if they haven't already done so. we're getting into the peak of hurricane season now through September. We're looking at a possible first of having two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time."
Strong winds and storm surge are the top concerns for local officials, but there are no plans yet for shelter openings. County residents should monitor the news and the County's social media pages for updates. Residents can text ManateeReady to 888-777 for the latest messages from Manatee County regarding any storm or COVID-19.
Manatee County's new 311 call center will field calls from the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow.